Webster's Unabridged Dictionary - Letter F - Page 35
Flaw (n.) A defect; a fault; as, a flaw in reputation; a flaw in a will, in a deed, or in a statute.
Has not this also its flaws and its dark side? -- South.
Flaw (n.) A sudden burst of noise and disorder; a tumult; uproar; a quarrel. [Obs.]
And deluges of armies from the town Came pouring in; I heard the mighty flaw. -- Dryden.
Flaw (n.) A sudden burst or gust of wind of short duration.
Snow, and hail, and stormy gust and flaw. -- Milton.
Like flaws in summer laying lusty corn. -- Tennyson.
Syn: Blemish; fault; imperfection; spot; speck.
Flawed (imp. & p. p.) of Flaw.
Flawing (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Flaw.
Flaw (v. t.) To crack; to make flaws in.
The brazen caldrons with the frosts are flawed. -- Dryden.
Flaw (v. t.) To break; to violate; to make of no effect. [Obs.]
France hath flawed the league. -- Shak.
Flaw (n.) An imperfection in an object or machine; "a flaw caused the crystal to shatter"; "if there are any defects you should send it back to the manufacturer" [syn: defect, fault, flaw].
Flaw (n.) Defect or weakness in a person's character; "he had his flaws, but he was great nonetheless".
Flaw (n.) An imperfection in a plan or theory or legal document that causes it to fail or that reduces its effectiveness.
Flaw (v.) Add a flaw or blemish to; make imperfect or defective [syn: flaw, blemish].
Flawless (a.) Free from flaws. -- Boyle.
Flawless (a.) Without a flaw; "a flawless gemstone" [syn: flawless, unflawed].
Flawn (n.) A sort of flat custard or pie. [Obs.] -- Tusser.
Flawter (v. t.) To scrape or pare, as a skin. [Obs.] -- Johnson.
Flawy (a.) Full of flaws or cracks; broken; defective; faulty. -- Johnson.
Flawy (a.) Subject to sudden flaws or gusts of wind.
Flax (n.) (Bot.) A plant of the genus Linum, esp. the L. usitatissimum, which has a single, slender stalk, about a foot and a half high, with blue flowers. The fiber of the bark is used for making thread and cloth, called linen, cambric, lawn, lace, etc. Linseed oil is expressed from the seed.
Flax (n.) The skin or fibrous part of the flax plant, when broken and cleaned by hatcheling or combing.
Earth flax (Min.), Amianthus.
Flax brake, A machine for removing the woody portion of flax from the fibrous.
Flax comb, A hatchel, hackle, or heckle.
Flax cotton, The fiber of flax, reduced by steeping in bicarbonate of soda and acidulated liquids, and prepared for bleaching and spinning like cotton. -- Knight.
Flax dresser, One who breaks and swingles flax, or prepares it for the spinner.
Flax mill, A mill or factory where flax is spun or linen manufactured.
Flax puller, A machine for pulling flax plants in the field.
Flax wench. (a) A woman who spins flax. [Obs.]
Flax wench. (b) A prostitute. [Obs.] -- Shak.
Mountain flax (Min.), Amianthus.
New Zealand flax (Bot.) See Flax-plant.
Flax (n.) Fiber of the flax plant that is made into thread and woven into linen fabric.
Flax (n.) Plant of the genus Linum that is cultivated for its seeds and for the fibers of its stem.
Flax, () (Heb. pishtah, i.e., "peeled", in allusion to the fact that the stalks of flax when dried were first split or peeled before being steeped in water for the purpose of destroying the pulp).
This plant was cultivated from earliest times. The flax of Egypt was destroyed by the plague of hail when it "was bolled", i.e., was forming pods for seed (Ex. 9:31). It was extensively cultivated both in Egypt and Palestine. Reference is made in Josh. 2:6 to the custom of drying flax-stalks by exposing them to the sun on the flat roofs of houses. It was much used in forming articles of clothing such as girdles, also cords and bands (Lev. 13:48, 52, 59; Deut. 22:11). (See LINEN.)
Flax (n.) [ U ] A plant with blue flowers grown for its stems or seeds, or the thread made from this plant.
Flaxen (a.) Made of flax; resembling flax or its fibers; of the color of flax; of a light soft straw color; fair and flowing, like flax or tow; as, flaxen thread; flaxen hair.
Flaxen (a.) Of hair color; pale yellowish to yellowish brown; "flaxen locks" [syn: flaxen, sandy].
Flax-plant (n.) (Bot.) A plant in new Zealand ({Phormium tenax), allied to the lilies and aloes. The leaves are two inches wide and several feet long, and furnish a fiber which is used for making ropes, mats, and coarse cloth.
Flaxseed (n.) The seed of the flax; linseed.
Flaxseed (n.) The seed of flax used as a source of oil [syn: linseed, flaxseed].
Flaxweed (n.) (Bot.) See Toadflax.
Compare: Toadflax
Toadflax (n.) (Bot.) An herb ({Linaria vulgaris) of the Figwort family, having narrow leaves and showy orange and yellow flowers; -- called also butter and eggs, flaxweed, and ramsted.
Flaxy (a.) Like flax; flaxen. -- Sir M. Sandys.
Flayed (imp. & p. p.) of Flay.
Flaying (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Flay.
Flay (v. t.) To skin; to strip off the skin or surface of; as, to flay an ox; to flay the green earth.
With her nails She 'll flay thy wolfish visage. -- Shak.
Flay (v.) Strip the skin off.
Flayer (n.) One who strips off the skin.
Flea (v. t.) To flay. [Obs.]
He will be fleaed first And horse collars made of's skin. -- J. Fletcher.
Flea (n.) (Zool.) An insect belonging to the genus Pulex, of the order Aphaniptera. Fleas are destitute of wings, but have the power of leaping energetically. The bite is poisonous to most persons.
The human flea ({Pulex irritans), Abundant in Europe, is rare in America, where the dog flea
({Ctenocephalides canis, formerly Pulex canis) and the smaller cat flea ({Ctenocephalides felis) take its place.
See Aphaniptera, and Dog flea. See Illustration in Appendix.
A flea in the ear, An unwelcome hint or unexpected reply, annoying like a flea; an irritating repulse; as, to put a flea in one's ear; to go away with a flea in one's ear.
Beach flea, Black flea, etc. See under Beach, etc.
Flea (n.) Any wingless bloodsucking parasitic insect noted for ability to leap.
Fleabane (n.) (Bot.) One of various plants, supposed to have efficacy in driving away fleas. They belong, for the most part, to the genera Conyza, Erigeron, and Pulicaria.
Fleabane (n.) Hairy perennial Eurasian herb with yellow daisylike flowers reputed to destroy or drive away fleas [syn: fleabane, feabane mullet, Pulicaria dysenterica].
Fleabane (n.) Any of several North American plants of the genus Erigeron having daisylike flowers; formerly believed to repel fleas.
Fleabane (n.) Common North American weed with linear leaves and small discoid heads of yellowish flowers; widely naturalized throughout temperate regions; sometimes placed in genus Erigeron [syn: horseweed, Canadian fleabane, fleabane, Conyza canadensis, Erigeron canadensis].
Flea-beetle (n.) (Zool.) A small beetle of the family Halticidae, of many species. They have strong posterior legs and leap like fleas. The turnip flea-beetle ({Phyllotreta vittata) and that of the grapevine ({Graptodera chalybea) are common injurious species.
Flea-bite (n.) The bite of a flea, or the red spot caused by the bite.
Flea-bite (n.) A trifling wound or pain, like that of the bite of a flea. -- Harvey.
Flea-bitten (a.) Bitten by a flea; as, a flea-bitten face.
Flea-bitten (a.) White, flecked with minute dots of bay or sorrel; -- said of the color of a horse.
Flea-bitten (a.) Same as creaky, 1.
Syn: creaky, decrepit, run-down, rundown, woebegone.
Flea-bitten (a.) Worn and broken down by hard use; "a creaky shack"; "a decrepit bus...its seats held together with friction tape"; "a flea-bitten sofa"; "a run-down neighborhood"; "a woebegone old shack" [syn: creaky, decrepit, derelict, flea-bitten, run-down, woebegone].
Fleagh () Obs. imp. of Fly.
Fleak (n.) A flake; a thread or twist. [Obs.]
Little long fleaks or threads of hemp. -- Dr. H. More.
Fleaking (n.) A light covering of reeds, over which the main covering is laid, in thatching houses. [Prov. Eng.] -- Wright.
Flea-louse (n.) (Zool.) A jumping plant louse of the family Psyllidae, of many species. That of the pear tree is Psylla pyri.
Fleam (n.) (Surg. & Far.) A sharp instrument used for opening veins, lancing gums, etc.; a kind of lancet.
Fleam tooth, A tooth of a saw shaped like an isosceles triangle; a peg tooth. -- Knight.
Fleamy (a.) Bloody; clotted.
[Obs. or Prov.]
Foamy bubbling of a fleamy brain. -- Marston.
Flear (v. t. & i.) See Fleer.
Fleawort (n.) (Bot.) An herb used in medicine ({Plantago Psyllium), named from the shape of its seeds. -- Loudon.
Fleawort (n.) Plantain of Mediterranean regions whose seeds swell and become gelatinous when moist and are used as a mild laxative [syn: fleawort, psyllium, Spanish psyllium, Plantago psyllium].
Fleche (n.) (Fort.) A simple fieldwork, consisting of two faces forming a salient angle pointing outward and open at the gorge.
Fleck (n.) A flake; also, a lock, as of wool. [Obs.] -- J. Martin.
Fleck (n.) A spot; a streak; a speckle. "A sunny fleck." -- Longfellow.
Life is dashed with flecks of sin. -- tennyson.
Flecked (imp. & p. p.) of Fleck.
Flecking (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Fleck.
Fleck (v. t.) To spot; to streak or stripe; to variegate; to dapple.
Both flecked with white, the true Arcadian strain. -- Dryden.
A bird, a cloud, flecking the sunny air. -- Trench.
Fleck (n.) A small fragment of something broken off from the whole; "a bit of rock caught him in the eye" [syn: bit, chip, flake, fleck, scrap].
Fleck (n.) A small contrasting part of something; "a bald spot"; "a leopard's spots"; "a patch of clouds"; "patches of thin ice"; "a fleck of red" [syn: spot, speckle, dapple, patch, fleck, maculation].
Fleck (v.) Make a spot or mark onto; "The wine spotted the tablecloth" [syn: spot, fleck, blob, blot].
Fleck (n.) [ C usually plural ] A small mark or spot.
// Blackbirds' eggs are pale blue with brown flecks on them.
// I got a few flecks of paint on the window.
Flecker (v. t.) To fleck. -- Johnson.
Fleckless (a.) Without spot or blame. [R.]
My consnience will not count me fleckless. -- Tennyson.
Flection (n.) The act of bending, or state of being bent.
Flection (n.) The variation of words by declension, comparison, or conjugation; inflection.
Flection (n.) The state of being flexed (as of a joint) [syn: flexure, flection, flexion].
Flection (n.) Deviation from a straight or normal course [syn: inflection, flection, flexion].
Flectional (a.) Capable of, or pertaining to, flection or inflection.
A flectional word is a phrase in the bud. -- Earle.
Flector (n.) A flexor.
Fled () imp. & p. p. of Flee.
Flee (v. i.) [imp. & p. p. Fled; p. pr. & vb. n. Fleeing.] To run away, as from danger or evil; to avoid in an alarmed or cowardly manner; to hasten off; -- usually with from.
This is sometimes omitted, making the verb transitive.
[He] cowardly fled, not having struck one stroke. -- Shak.
Flee fornication. -- 1 Cor. vi. 18.
So fled his enemies my warlike father. -- Shak.
Note: When great speed is to be indicated, we commonly use fly, not flee; as, fly hence to France with the utmost speed. "Whither shall I fly to 'scape their hands?" -- Shak. See Fly, v. i., 5.
Fledge (a.) Feathered; furnished with feathers or wings; able to fly.
His shoulders, fledge with wings. -- Milton.
Fledged (imp. & p. p.) of Fledge.
Fledging (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Fledge.
Fledge (v. t. & i.) To furnish with feathers; to supply with the feathers necessary for flight.
The birds were not as yet fledged enough to shift for themselves. -- L'Estrange.
Fledge (v. t. & i.) To furnish or adorn with any soft covering.
Your master, whose chin is not yet fledged. -- Shak.
Fledge (v.) Feed, care for, and rear young birds for flight.
Fledge (v.) Decorate with feathers; "fledge an arrow" [syn: fledge, flight].
Fledge (v.) Grow feathers; "The young sparrows are fledging already" [syn: fledge, feather].
Fledgeling, fledgling (n.) A new member of a group.
Syn: newcomer, fledgeling, starter, neophyte, freshman, entrant.
Fledgeling (n.) A young bird just fledged.
Fledgeling (a.) (Of a young bird) Having acquired its flight feathers; "a fledgling robin" [syn: fledgling(a), fledgeling(a)].
Fledgeling (n.) Any new participant in some activity [syn: newcomer, fledgling, fledgeling, starter, neophyte, freshman, newbie, entrant].
Fledgeling (n.) Young bird that has just fledged or become capable of flying [syn: fledgling, fledgeling].
Fled (imp. & p. p.) of Flee.
Fleeing (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Flee.
Flee (v. i.) 逃，逃走 [（+from）]；消失；消散；(v. t.) 逃離；逃避 To run away, as from danger or evil; to avoid in an alarmed or cowardly manner; to hasten off; -- usually with from. This is sometimes omitted, making the verb transitive.
[He] cowardly fled, not having struck one stroke. -- Shak.
Flee fornication. -- 1 Cor. vi. 18.
So fled his enemies my warlike father. -- Shak.
Note: When great speed is to be indicated, we commonly use fly, not flee; as, fly hence to France with the utmost speed. "Whither shall I fly to 'scape their hands?" -- Shak. See Fly, v. i., 5.
Flee (v.) Run away quickly; "He threw down his gun and fled" [syn: {flee}, {fly}, {take flight}].
Fleece (n.) The entire coat of wood that covers a sheep or other similar animal; also, the quantity shorn from a sheep, or animal, at one time.
Who shore me Like a tame wether, all my precious fleece. -- Milton.
Fleece (n.) Any soft woolly covering resembling a fleece.
Fleece (n.) (Manuf.) The fine web of cotton or wool removed by the doffing knife from the cylinder of a carding machine.
Fleece wool, Wool shorn from the sheep.
Golden fleece. See under Golden.
Fleeced (imp. & p. p.) of Fleece.
Fleecing (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Fleece.
Fleece (v. t.) To deprive of a fleece, or natural covering of wool.
Fleece (v. t.) To strip of money or other property unjustly, especially by trickery or fraud; to bring to straits by oppressions and exactions.
Whilst pope and prince shared the wool betwixt them, the people were finely fleeced. -- Fuller.
Fleece (v. t.) To spread over as with wool. [R.] -- Thomson.
Fleece (n.) The wool of a sheep or similar animal.
Fleece (n.) Tanned skin of a sheep with the fleece left on; used for clothing [syn: sheepskin, fleece].
Fleece (n.) A soft bulky fabric with deep pile; used chiefly for clothing.
Fleece (n.) Outer coat of especially sheep and yaks [syn: wool, fleece].
Fleece (v.) Rip off; ask an unreasonable price [syn: overcharge, soak, surcharge, gazump, fleece, plume, pluck, rob, hook] [ant: undercharge].
Fleece (v.) Shear the wool from; "shear sheep" [syn: fleece, shear].
Fleece, () The wool of a sheep, whether shorn off or still attached to the skin (Deut. 18:4; Job 31:20). The miracle of Gideon's fleece (Judg. 6:37-40) consisted in the dew having fallen at one time on the fleece without any on the floor, and at another time in the fleece remaining dry while the ground was wet with dew.
Fleeced (a.) Furnished with a fleece; as, a sheep is well fleeced. -- Spenser.
Fleeced (a.) Stripped of a fleece; plundered; robbed.
Fleeceless (a.) Without a fleece.
Fleecer (n.) One who fleeces or strips unjustly, especially by trickery or fraund. -- Prynne.
Fleecy (a.) Covered with, made of, or resembling, a fleece. "Fleecy flocks." -- Prior.
Fleecy (a.) (Of fabrics) Having soft nap produced by brushing; "a dress of brushed cotton"; "a fleecy lining"; "napped fabrics" [syn: brushed, fleecy, napped].
Fleecy (a.) Soft and like a sheep's wool, or looking like this.
// Fleecy clouds.
Fleen (n. pl.) Obs. pl. of Flea. -- Chaucer.
Fleer (n.) One who flees. -- Ld. Berners.
Fleered (imp. & p. p.) of Fleer.
Fleering (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Fleer.
Fleer () To make a wry face in contempt, or to grin in scorn; to deride; to sneer; to mock; to gibe; as, to fleer and flout.
To fleer and scorn at our solemnity. -- Shak.
Fleer () To grin with an air of civility; to leer. [Obs.]
Grinning and fleering as though they went to a bear baiting. -- Latimer.
Fleer (v. t.) To mock; to flout at. -- Beau. & Fl.
Fleer (n.) A word or look of derision or mockery.
And mark the fleers, the gibes, and notable scorn. -- Shak.
Fleer (n.) A grin of civility; a leer. [Obs.]
A sly, treacherous fleer on the face of deceivers. -- South.
Fleer (n.) Someone who flees from an uncongenial situation; "fugitives from the sweatshops" [syn: fugitive, runaway, fleer].
Fleer (n.) Contempt expressed by mockery in looks or words.
Fleer (v.) To smirk contemptuously.
Fleerer (n.) One who fleers. -- Beau. & Fl.
Fleeringly (adv.) In a fleering manner.
Fleeted (imp. & p. p.) of Fleet.
Fleeting (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Fleet.
Fleet (v. t.) 消磨（時間）；【海】變換（船員或船）的位置 To pass over rapidly; to skin the surface of; as, a ship that fleets the gulf. -- Spenser.
Fleet (v. t.) To hasten over; to cause to pass away lighty, or in mirth and joy.
Many young gentlemen flock to him, and fleet the time carelessly. -- Shak.
Fleet (v. t.) (Naut.) To draw apart the blocks of; -- said of a tackle. -- Totten.
Fleet (v. t.) (Naut.) To cause to slip down the barrel of a capstan or windlass, as a rope or chain.
Fleet (v. t.) (Naut.) To move or change in position; used only in special phrases; as, of fleet aft the crew.
We got the long "stick" . . . down and "fleeted" aft, where it was secured. -- F. T. Bullen.
Fleet (v. i.) To sail; to float. [Obs.]
And in frail wood on Adrian Gulf doth fleet. -- Spenser.
Fleet (v. i.) 疾飛；掠過；【海】變換位置 To fly swiftly; to pass over quickly; to hasten; to flit as a light substance.
All the unaccomplished works of Nature's hand, . . . Dissolved on earth, fleet hither. -- Milton.
Fleet (v. i.) (Natu.) To slip on the whelps or the barrel of a capstan or windlass; -- said of a cable or hawser.
Fleet (v. i.) (Naut.) To move or change in position; -- said of persons; as, the crew fleeted aft.
Fleet (a.) 快速的，敏捷的； 轉瞬即逝的 Swift in motion; moving with velocity; light and quick in going from place to place; nimble.
In mail their horses clad, yet fleet and strong. -- Milton.
Fleet (a.) Light; superficially thin; not penetrating deep, as soil. [Prov. Eng.] -- Mortimer.
Fleet (v. t.) To take the cream from; to skim. [Prov. Eng.] -- Johnson.
Fleet (n.) 艦隊； 船隊； 車隊； 港灣，小河 A number of vessels in company, especially war vessels; also, the collective naval force of a country, etc.
Fleet captain, The senior aid of the admiral of a fleet, when a captain. -- Ham. Nav. Encyc.
Fleet (n.) A flood; a creek or inlet; a bay or estuary; a river; -- obsolete, except as a place name, -- as Fleet Street in London.
Together wove we nets to entrap the fish In floods and sedgy fleets. -- Matthewes.
Fleet (n.) A former prison in London, which originally stood near a stream, the Fleet (now filled up).
Fleet parson, A clergyman of low character, in, or in the vicinity of, the Fleet prison, who was ready to unite persons in marriage (called Fleet marriage) at any hour, without public notice, witnesses, or consent of parents.
Fleet (a.) Moving very fast; "fleet of foot"; "the fleet scurrying of squirrels"; "a swift current"; "swift flight of an arrow"; "a swift runner" [syn: fleet, swift].
Fleet (n.) Group of aircraft operating together under the same Ownership.
Fleet (n.) Group of motor vehicles operating together under the same Ownership.
Fleet (n.) A group of steamships operating together under the same ownership.
Fleet (n.) A group of warships organized as a tactical unit.
Fleet (v.) Move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart; "The hummingbird flitted among the branches" [syn: flit, flutter, fleet, dart].
Fleet (v.) Disappear gradually; "The pain eventually passed off" [syn: evanesce, fade, blow over, pass off, fleet, pass].
Fleet () Punishment, Eng. law, Saxon fleot. A place of running water, where the tide or float comes up. A prison in London, so called from a river or ditch which was formerly there, on the side of which it stood.